Jet steering device



July 6, 1965 w. N. ENGEL ETAL 3,192,715

JET STEERING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1962 Fig 1 ,/0

WILUAM N. ENGEL, RwHARD L. COCHRAN and TRoY G. HuMvHREY United States Patent O M 3,i`r2,7 EET SEE-NG DEVEQE Wiiliam N. Engel and Richard L Cochran, lndianapoiis, and Troy G. Humphrey, Beech Grove, intl., assigncrs to The Enabler Qorporation, Indianapolis, ind., .a con poration of indiana Filed Mar. S, 1962, Ser. No. lS-if i Claim. (Ci. et-35.55)

The present invention relates to jet propelled watercraft and more particularly to means for controlling the movement of such craft, said means iinding important utility as a steering device for such craft.

One type of water jet propelled boat includes a conduit having an intake opening at the bottom of the boat and an exhaust opening at the rear of the boat. Water is pumped through the conduit by an engine arranged to drive a pump located within the conduit. One problem present in the construction and operation of such water jet-propelled boats is that of controlling movement of the boat, such as, for example, the steering of the boat. This control may 'be accomplished by deilecting the stream of water as it leaves the rear of the boat. it is desirable that efficient, inexpensive, easily installed means -be provided for deflecting the steam to control the movement of the boat.

Consequently, an important object of the present invention is to provide an improved jet boat control system.

Further objects of this invention are to provide a jet boat steering system which is inexpensive and incorporates elements at points of greater wear which can be easily and inexpensively replaced; to provide a jet boat steering system which eliminates or reduces spray during turning, and to provide a jet boat steering system which is easy to operate and highly ecient in operation.

Related objects and advantages ybecome apparent as the description proceeds.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a control system for watercraft including means for moving water in a jet from the craft, a exible conduit mounted on the craft to receive the jet and means for moving the iiexible conduit to deect the jet.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a jet boat incorporating the jet boat control of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the rearward portion of PEG. 1, showing in detail the steering control of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows but showing the device in a different operating position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FiG. 6 is a View similar to FIG. 3 of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a jet boat 10 having a hull l1 which is provided with an intake opening l2 communicating between the bottom of the boat and a pump 13. The pump has a passage therethrough communicating between the intake opening l2 and a passage 15 through a tail pipe le secured to the rear of the boat. The pump i3 is driven by a conventional marine engine 14 through a shaft 17 and functions to pump water from the intake 12 to and out of the rear of the boat. The water is formed into a jet stream by the converging surface 2? of an annular member 21 fixed within the passage le'.

Fixed to the tail pipe le is a housing 22 which con- CII ihijii Patented July 6, i965 ICC tains a depending gate or slide 25 which is movable within the vertically extending opening 26 in the housing to various positions. There is provided suitable means 27 (FG. l), hydraulic or otherwise, for raising and lowering the gate 25 within the housing 22. The upward end of the opening 26 has a sufliciently great vertical dimension to receive the gate in the position shown in FIG. 2 whereby the jet stream issuing from the annular member 2l is free to move directly rearwardly through a 4circular aperture 27 in the rear lof the housing to cause the craft to move forwardly. The gate 2S may be lowered to a position wherein it completely covers and closes off the aperture 27 causing the water issuing from the member 21 to be redirected and to ow downwardly through the forwardly opening aperture Sti, thence downwardly and forwardly beneath the boat causing the boat to move rearwardly. The gate 25 is also movable to intermediate positions in one of which, for example, the forward and rearward thrust produced by `flow through apertures 27 and 3d, respectively, is balanced and the boat can maintain a stationary position.

A generally cylindrical flexible conduit 31 is fixed to the housing 22 by means of an annular mounting member 33 in such a manner that the flexible conduit is in registry with and surrounds the aperture 27 in the housing. The flexible conduit 3-1 has an outwardly extending annular flange 35 at its proximal end which is clamped Vbeneath the mounting member 33 by screws 36 positioned around the aperture 27 whereby the flexible conduit is securely sealed to the housing and leakage cannot occur between the housing and iiexible conduit.

The exible conduit may be composed of rubber, plastic, canvas or similar materials. However, preferably it is formed of such a material that it retains its cylindrical rearwardly extendingY shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and does not sag or deform when water is not dowing through the conduit 31. Thus, when the gate 2S is in its illustrated uppermost position and the other parts ofl the assembly are in the illustrated position of FlGS. 1 3, the jet of water being expelled from the member 21 can pass directly rearwardly through the aperture 27 and through the iiexible conduit 31 without contacting either the housing or the flexible conduit. It will be noted that both the aperture 27 and the flexible conduit 31 have a greater diameter than the exit end of annular member 2l.

The housing 22 has formed integrally therewith a pair of spaced rearwardly projecting portions 37 which are located centrally of the housing vand have vertical bores therethrough which pivotally receive a vertical shaft 4i?. A steering quadrant 41 is fixed to the shaft 4@ and receives a steering line 42 in a peripheral groove 45 ofv the quadrant. The steering line 42 is connected to suitabie steering apparatus such as the steering wheel within the craft.

Fixed to the lower end of the shaft 4t2 is a rigid annular member 46. The annular member 46 has tapered forward edges 47 which are arranged at such an angle as to permit the pivoting of the annular member about the axis of the shaft di? to positions such as shown in HG. 4. At its distal end 54B, the annular member 4e has a circular cross section. Along the line 51 of FlG. 2, the annular member 46 has an elliptical cross section while at the portions between Si) and 5l., the cross section of the member 46 is also elliptical but gradually changes between the two extremes at 5G and 5l.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the upper and lower portions 52 and 53 of annular member 46 have a slight taper rearwardly and toward one another but generally speahng the vertical dimension therebetween is approximately equal to the vertical dimension between the top and bottom portions 5S and 56 of the flexible conduit. However, as is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the annular d member d6 tapers rearwardly in horizontal section from a size greater than the fiexible conduit 31 to a size at the distal end Sil approximateiy the Same as the flexible conduit. Consequently, when the rigid member 46 is pivoted to the position shown in FG. 4, the forward edge 57 of the rigid member does not Contact the iiexible conduit 31 to produce a ridge or bump in the internal surface of the tiexible conduit which would tend to interfere with the ow of water therethrough.

It can `be seen that by means of the steering quadrant lil, the line 42, the steering wheel within the boat and the shaft 4i?, the annular member 46 may be pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 4 or to an opposite position or to intermediate positions for deilecting the stream of water and turning the boat. When the rigid member 46 is in the position of FIG. 4, a portion thereof extends past the rearward edge 66- of the flexible conduit and assists in the dehecting of the jet stream.

Referring to FIG. 5, there Ais illustrated an alternative embodiment of the present invention which is substantially identical to the above described embodiment with the exception that the annular member 79 at all times extends a greater distance rearwardly of the boat than does the flexible conduit 71. Further, the embodiment of FIG. 5 is provided withinwardly projecting anges 72 which extend from the forward ends '73 of the spaced side portions 75 of the member 70. The inwardly projecting anges 72 dene at their inner edge 76 a circular orifice which slidably receives the flexible conduit 7l..

n FG. 5, there is also illustrated a different type of mounting plate 77 which has a forwardly extending portion 80 and a radially extending portion 81. The radiaily extending portion 81 receives a plurality of mounting screws 82 which x the plate 77 to the housing 85 and compress the radially extending flange 86 on the :flexible member providing a sealed and secure mounting.

In FIG. 6, there is illustrated a further embodiment of the invention which includes a cylindrical flexible member 99 mounted in the manner shown in FlGS. 1-4 upon a housing 91 identical to the housing 22. Alternatively, the flexible conduit 99 may be mounted as shown in FIG.' 5 upon the housing 91. Except as further described below, the embodiment of FIG. 6 is identical to the embodiment of FGS. l-4.

Fixed to and located externally of the distal end of the flexible conduit is a rigid ring 92. A shaft 93 identical to the shaft 40 is pivotally mounted upon the housing and has fixed to its lower end an arm 9S which has fixed to its distal end the ring 92. The shaft 93 can be pivoted, for example, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6, to deflect the jet stream issuing from the housing 91.

From the above description, it will be evident that the present invention provides a steering mechanism for a jet boat which eliminates or reduces spray during turning of the boat. Thus, no spray can be ejected between the housing and the llexible conduit of any of the ernai. bodirnents because of the sealed-together nature of these two members whereby all of the water must exit from the distal end of the flexible conduit. It will also be evident from the above description that the present invention provides an efficient, inexpensive and easily replaced steering device for a jet boat. Since a large part of the wear in the steering mechanism will occur in the flexible conduit, it is an important advantage of the present invention that this flexible conduit is easily replaceable.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claim are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

A steering system for watercraft comprising a rigid conduit mounted on the craft and extending and opening rearwardly thereof, means for pumping water through said conduit to exhaust from said opening, said conduit being constricted at the opening thereof t0 form the water into a smooth jet, a flexible conduit of constant circular cross section fixed t0 and extending rearwardly of said craft in sealed communication with said rigid conduit opening, said flexible conduit having a greater diameter than the opening of said rigid conduit, a rigid annular member 'surrounding said flexible conduit and extending rearwardly of said Watercraft substantially the same distance as said flexible conduit, said rigid annular member being pivoted to said craft for swinging about a vertical axis adjacent and bisecting said opening, said annular member tapering rearwardly in central frontto-rear horizontal section from a size substantially greater than said flexible conduit to a size approximately the same as said flexible conduit, said annular member having from front-to-rear an inside vertical spacing between its top and bottom portions which is approximately equal to the outside `vertical spacing between the top and bottom portions of said flexible conduit from front-torear thereof, and means for swinging said annular member about said axis to horizontally deflect said flexible conduit, said rigid annular member being freely movable relative to said smooth flexible conduit.

References by the Examiner UNE'ED STATES PATENTS 3,003,455 l0/6l Alexander et al. Gil-35.55 XR 3,040,525 6/62 Cochran 60-35.55

F OREGN PATENTS 687,482 4/30 France.

SAMUEL LEVNE, Primary Examiner. 

